John Crow Batty

Prefer to see the lions win. Wounded animals are more dangerous.

Their form against top 8 sides mirrors ours and we did beat Richmond. The big difference is that they usually put poor sides to the sword and smash them. When the prey is weak they have more blood lust. They have also rebounded quickly after poor games by their standards. Now is the opportunity to see if we can do the same.

Weids last chance. Lucky for him BBB put in a stinker at Casey. Last week 9 touches and 1 goal matching career averages of 9 touches and 1 goal a game just aren’t good enough. Gotta rev up.

Like steak only cooked on one side and chips without salt washed down with flat beer, no thanks.

The AFL should make it the best of 20, 21,22 or results for ladder position. So if a team plays all 23 rounds, 22 or 21 it s doesn’t matter. If one game gets cancelled then all other clubs can cancel their worst result to balance it out.

A forced reset might be OK. We have been playing with some listlessness for the past month.

I don’t care if we play to an empty stadium. I hope the quarantine disrupts their preparations. Bring it on.

Seriously I am more mad at Max not being more proactive in the 3 ruck contests after that extremely poor umpiring decision. Poor umpiring decisions happen every game and change the ebb and flow dynamics as with every player mistake. The game is fluid. He had time and a chance to try and do something positive to right things but he didn’t.

Christian, Clayton as well as Max, the best ingredients but the recipe needs tweaking. Like baking a cake, the right proportions of each ingredient, mixing and baking to get the chemical reaction right so as to provide the correct rise and give it the right flavour and texture.

Here is the write up in The Age with this extraordinary comment though the AFL accepting the umpire made an error. “The AFL’s review of the Adelaide v Melbourne game received a positive appraisal, with the league’s view that the game was overall well umpired”. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-should-have-had-out-of-bounds-free-kick-afl-20210524-p57uqq.html

This one is the most blatant of the three match changing non decisions this season with zero ambiguity to argue. That umpire needs to be demoted for the rest of the season.

I wish AVDB was available to park on the bench this game. I feel we are gonna need the extra muscle.

Then we better win or else…..

He’s a very naughty boy https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/arrest-warrant-for-former-top-draft-pick-jack-watts-revoked-after-lawyer-intervention-20210524-p57unw.html

Agree, it was just poor execution by Fritsch. Under no immediate pressure of being tackled and in best position to score. Just too laconic and worst kick option taken.

Agree, too unworkable in our fast moving game peppered with dozens of grey area decisions every game. Most appeals will be burned off in first quarters appealing any decision or non decision after an opposition goal. Even in cricket captains get the appeal wrong too often for the limited times when there is dispute.

One of the best solo efforts in a losing game that I ever witnessed. He won’t be intimidated like some others. .

Gawn was generally good bar those few critical errors. It’s obvious to me why opposition players give him taps on the head in marking situations. Most of the uncontested marks he spills it’s like he’s expecting a whack and it unsettles him. He is one of the best marks in the comp and the opposition try to make him pay at every attempt.

I’m not prepared to throw in the towel yet. Adelaide were s**t hot on Saturday. We played well except for lapses when comfortably in front. We and they never gave up. They got lucky in the end and we were not smart enough to close the game down. What irks me though is that most losing opposition side don’t seem to throw in the towel when playing us. They know we don’t have a killer instinct and always think they have a chance. We needs a step up in ruthlessness and intimidate.

Michael Gleeson in The Age wrote this today. I hope we haven’t flatlined. Next week a character defining day. “Between the arcs Melbourne were dominant in the first six weeks, top four in a range of statistics in this critical real estate on the ground: third for uncontested marks, second for contested possessions, fifth for tackles. In the last month they have fallen away between the arcs to be bottom four in the important categories”.

Three strikes and he’s out. I was expecting him to come back firing but his two games have been tepid and Mitch Brown has shown more in his sole outing as well in career comparisons.

The message would have got out to the players after the Taylor goal. 1 minute left. On the third ruck contest it was a matter of seconds left.

When defending ruckmen were allowed to rush behinds from ball ups close to goal they used to do it all the time. It was relatively easy. That’s why they changed the rules.

We had a much better chance of forcing a draw or chance of snatching the win with a fluke goal and maintained our top position if Gawn tried to punch the ball towards the goals.Too often I bemoan the lack of creative ruck play from Max as well as strategic thinking. He could have got 2 players to position goal side and thump the ball in that direction. We had little chance of him 3 times dropping the ball non goal side at his feet in manic congestion to win a decisive clearance for a shot at goal. Quick thinking and basic math nous could have saved us. A draw would have been as good as a win.

I get the impression umpires are like professional wrestling performers in these kind of games. Play the “heel” early to get all the boos and hate then switch over to become the “face” at the end to gain the platitudes and cheers. Must make them feel good.